Three years after Lucinda's confrontation with the mastermind behind the infection, she is forced to risk everything to save Lucella once and for all.
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Fifteen-year-old Lucinda Emerson was well aware of the fact that she didn't take TIO down...
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There they were.
Penny, Amanda, David, and Grandma, standing far away in their zombie-like glory. With a smirk, I stepped into the room while cracking my knuckles. As soon as the doors closed behind me, I began to speak. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" I asked in a loud voice. Then, I lifted my hand forward and gestured for the infected to come over. "Let's see if you've improved." I knew that I was provoking them into attacking me, but I also knew that it was vital for me to do so in order to get them where I wanted them.
Fortunately, the first one to take me up on my offer was Grandma, which was good because she would be the easiest to handle due to her age. However, that also meant that I would need to be careful since I didn't want to break any bones in her body. As I moved away from her, I quickly grabbed a vial from my sash. Grandma tried to attack me again, but this time, I got a hold of her arm. I held the vial between my fingers so that I could use my other hand to grab her shoulder and force her onto the ground.
I grabbed the bat from her and tossed it aside as my other hand removed the cap from the vial. Then, like I did with Bunny, I grabbed her jaw, forced it open, and poured the cure inside. It wouldn't be long before I was attacked again, so I dropped the vial and gently pushed Grandma to the side before David came towards me once more. I lured him away from Grandma the same way I would've done with Dad if I was given the chance. Unfortunately, fate had been cruel enough to take him away from me, along with Mom and Rose.
David was a lot stronger compared to Grandma. His attacks on me were quicker than hers. Nevertheless, it was nothing compared to what I went through after leaving the gallery, so it was quite easy for me to bend down to kick his feet, forcing him down to the ground. I quickly jumped over David, positioning myself behind him, before locking one of my arms around his neck, not hard enough to strangle him, but enough to keep him in place. Then, I grabbed another vial and forced David to take it.
Tossing the vial aside, I picked up David's unconscious body as best as I could. Then, after noticing a shocked and cured Grandma staring at me from the corner of my eye, I quickly shoved him in her direction. Without checking on the two, I quickly turned around and lifted my arm up, blocking a hit from Amanda's bat. With my free hand, I grabbed onto her arm and turned around before flinging her over my shoulder, causing her to let go of her bat and fall to the ground.
I used the bat that was now in my possession to pin Amanda down so she couldn't move. She struggled as I opened the second to last vial and bent down on my knees. Fortunately, she calmed down as the light blue liquid went down her throat. She immediately fell unconscious, and I let go of the bat. I then picked up Amanda's body in a similar form that I picked up David's before dragging her to him. He was awake now, so he was able to catch her when I dropped her.
For a moment, it was silent.
My breaths were heavy, my body was covered in sweat, and three pairs of eyes were on me. I wanted to collapse and forget about everything so badly, but I knew that I couldn't. I simply forced myself to stand tall and suck up all the pain, exhaustion, and everything else I was feeling. I closed my eye, took a deep breath, and let it out, feeling the oxygen go through my lungs and veins. "Cindy... we-" someone said before an ominous growl cut them off. Maybe it was Amanda. Maybe it was David. Or maybe it was Grandma. I didn't know. It didn't matter.
